Brothers of Paradise Series

Rhys’s smile is crooked. “I can.”

I bury my head against his chest. “I’ll probably come to terms with it soon enough too.”

“Come to terms with it?” His hand settles around my bare hip, squeezing. “You wound me.”

“Impossible.”

“Nearly.”

I look up again to see his gaze on my body, eyes focused. I force more bravado into my voice than I feel-it’s vulnerable, being this intimate. “You’d want to photograph me nude, huh?”

But his voice doesn’t match my teasing. “Absolutely, I do.”

I rise up, a hand on his chest. “Seriously?”

“Of course.” He runs a thumb over my lower lip. “I’ve already thought of what kind of light I’d want, knowing which poses you prefer.”

There’s nothing to say to that, because my mind is blank. His statement is matter-of-fact, a true appreciation. It’s not lewd or leering. It’s not a photographer taking advantage. It’s one artist to another.

And it moves me more than I thought it would.

“So?” he asks. “No regrets about yesterday?”

“None at all.” I wonder if I can ask the question on my mind. What happens now? We didn’t define any parameters for this. But Rhys raises an eyebrow and barrels on-he probably has no qualms or questions. After all, when did he say his last kiss was before me? A few weeks ago?

I doubt that encounter had been limited to kissing.

“How do you feel?” he asks, glancing down. And it’s silly, because he’s the one who’s been there, but it makes me blush.

He gives a quiet laugh. “So inconsistent, about what makes you embarrassed. It’s difficult to keep track of.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s very interesting.”

I roll my eyes. “So I’ve been upgraded from not uninteresting to actually being interesting? Thank you.”

“That’s a real compliment in my book,” he says. “You should take it to heart.”

“Oh, should I?”

He nods, flipping us over. The comforter falls off him, his hair a tumble of dark locks over his brow as he hovers above me. “You’re not too sore, are you?”

“Perhaps I’m not sore at all,” I counter.

Rhys shakes his head. “I don’t know if I’m relieved or offended.”

“Decide, and then I’ll tell you the truth.”

His eyes widen. “Ivy, you deceitful-”

His words are cut off by the loud sound of a phone ringing. The ringtone is mine, emanating from wherever in the oversized hotel room I’d tossed my handbag last night.

Cold suspicion grips a hold of me. “What date is it?”

“Should be the twelfth,” Rhys says. “Why?”

“Damn it!” I slide out from under him, racing across the room to the bathroom. I slide into one of the giant, fluffy bathrobes. “My dad and sister are calling. They scheduled a FaceTime call for today.”

“Scheduled?” Rhys calls from the bed.

“Yes, scheduled!” I run a brush through my hair as the signal dies. I know I’ll have no more than a minute before they call again. “We knew I’d be traveling all the time, so we settled on a place and a time that would work for us both with the time difference.”

Not to mention Dad is the textbook definition of punctual. Looking in the mirror, I hurry to wipe at the smudged mascara under my eyes. It’s not perfect, but it’ll have to do.

My phone rings again. Rhys leans against the headboard, an eyebrow raised as he watches me search for my phone.

“Interesting,” he comments, as I race to the adjoining door.

“Don’t speak?”

“I won’t,” he says, waving me away.

I hit reply and my dad’s chin fills the screen. “Ivy?” he asks. “Ivy, can you hear me?”

“Dad, not so close,” Penny chides him, and the phone is tugged back. There they are, my dad with his reading glasses on and gray hair, Penny sitting next to him.

She’s grinning, he’s frowning.

“Where is… oh! Hi sweetheart,” Dad says. “Are you in a hotel robe?”

“Yes, I have to jump in the shower after this,” I say. “I’m in Singapore.”

“We know.” Penny holds up the trip itinerary that I’d forwarded to the both of them by email. They’d printed it, and each stop I’ve already been to has a tidy checkmark next to it. “We’ve been following along!”

“How’s Singapore?” Dad asks.Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.

I launch into an explanation of the city, focusing on the buildings and new construction. It’s what he’s interested in, but Penny rolls her eyes halfway through. “What about the food? What about the people?” she asks.

“I’ve been here for less than twenty-four hours!”

“But you must have eaten?”

Laughing, I tell her all about the dumplings Rhys and I ate last night. “Oh, and have you seen the pictures I’ve sent you both? I’ve tried to take as many as I can.”

“Yes, and they’re much appreciated,” Penny says. Behind her, I see the familiar outline of my living-room windows. They’re in my apartment-which means Dad came into the city to visit Penny for this call, rather than vice versa.

That’s impressive. If he can, he’ll avoid any big city.